Raymond Pert gave the sibling assignment this week.Write about an experience you had in the theater that helped you grow into a better person. You will soon find his here and Silver Valley Girl's here.
Throughout my school years I performed on many stages. Between school and church programs, plays in high school, and events for Camp Fire Girls I loved to get up in front of people. The picture above shows my first production. Traditionally, in the spring each kindergarten class did a program to end the year. Ours was centered around the Mother Goose characters and I am the student in the front row third from the end on the right in the lovely, flowing lavender dress with the hat. I was Mother Goose. Some of the other students were my visitors so they didn't depict Mother Goose characters, but you can figure out what other students are portraying. I narrated us through a series of Mother Goose songs like Ten Little Indians, Oh Do You Know the Muffin Man?, and Lazy Mary.
I loved playing the part of Mother Goose. We were performing on the old Junior High stage that later was the lunch room and study hall when I attended school at that location. Looking back now at this picture I realize thirteen of us finished high school together. There was also an afternoon class that contained other friends that finished all twelve years of school with us. Many of us are also still friends today.
How did this part make me a better person? It was the first time I felt confident, helpful, and in charge. The teacher invited me to come back in the afternoon to rehearse with the other class. I was allowed to help with props with my friend Jay ( whom I knew from Sunday School). Feeling nervous is not what I remember. What comes back to me is how much I loved being on the stage performing and helping with the behind the scene production before the play.
Looking at the picture that Billy Hope photographed forty-six years ago it is amazing how much of this comes back to me. Being allowed to wear that beautiful, bright lipstick was significant. I don't know where that lovely dress came from, but lavender was my favorite color and I was thrilled to wear that ensemble. You can see the glasses in my hand that I wore to complete my creation of the character of Mother Goose.
It also made me a better person because I was immersed in Mother Goose and nursery rhymes, poetry, songs, and books that began my lifelong love for reading and writing. The roots of my life with reading and performing the written word began that year in kindergarten , but has continued to grow and mature all through my life. I haven't been up on a theater stage performing lately, but many of the skills carry me through my teaching each day.
You can find other Sunday Scribblings on Time Machine here.
I always enjoy your Sunday Scribblings. What a lovely memento that school photo is. You're lucky to be comfortable in front of people.
ReplyDeleteThe lavendar dress is lovely. I can imagine how it made you feel to be able to wear it, and to have such an important part.
That recent play with your family in it sounded like a lot of fun :) Great photos.
Your face just glows in that picture.
ReplyDeleteThe girl to your right is also quite delighted.
reading about it was fun for me, too.
Oh that takes me right back to my childhood acting attempts! I like the connections you make with how the experience helped you to develop.
ReplyDeleteI was only in a play once, playing Raggedy Ann. I regret not getting into theater more, but at least I had the CYO drill team. We marched and went on competitions. I remember the same sense of confidence when I made co-captain. It felt like magic, like I could have what I really wanted.
ReplyDeleteLike you, my love of words is rooted in nursery rhymes and jump rope songs.
You look supremely and serenely confident in the photo. Not many of us have your lack of stage fright. My granddaughter is another of the lucky ones, on stage all her life and now a drama student at Adephi in New York.
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